The 'Previews' Party: What's New in January's 'Previews'

Welcome to The Previews Party. I hope that you found my previous articles about how to pre-order your comics and the importance of pre-ordering helpful. Now, we're going to get into the meaty goodness of pre-ordering. Today, we'll be looking at January's Previews magazine to see which new books are coming our way. Remember, January's edition covers the new books which will be released in March.

I'll be taking you through the comics section from Dark Horse through Zenescope, highlighting the new books, cool creators, and giving you my own thoughts on what seems the coolest this month. Feel free to leave comments at the bottom of the page with what books you are most excited for, and let me know if I missed your favorite, so that I can add it to my order.

So, grab your copy of Previews and away we go!

Dark Horse Comics has a lot of great ongoing series like Buffy: Season 9 and Dark Horse Presents, but there were a few new books that really stood out to me. This month, Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon bring us a terrifying new entry into the the world of the B.P.R.D. with Vampire #1. These are two amazing comic creators, and teaming their style with Mike Mignola's crazy Hellboy universe is very exciting. Next, Mignola brings us a new super soldier to cheer for with Sledgehammer 44. Maybe I am just a sucker for guys in iron suits, but this book looks awesome. Finally are two new books in the Star Wars universe. Star Wars Legacy – Prisoner of the Floating World introduces Ania Solo, the granddaughter of Han and Leia, while Brian Wood continues to wow us with Issue #3 of his take on the events following the original Star Wars film, A New Hope. Give these new series a try if you're down with the Rebel Alliance.

Over at DC Comics, Action Comics gets a new creative team. There have been some serious missteps with the Superman franchise, but I have hope that Andy Diggle, Tony S. Daniel, and BATT can save the Last Son of Krypton and put out a really amazing book. Then, Batwoman gets a new story arc and an awesome cover from Trevor McCarthy that could make me buy the book all on its own. Finally, Jim Zub of Skullkickers and Pathfinder fame takes over the Birds of Prey*. I haven't been this excited to read about the bada-- ladies of Gotham since Gail Simone was writing the book.

IDW is bringing us 3 brand new G.I. Joe series. The All-American Heroes found a new direction in last month's G.I Joe #1, while this month we get Special Missions #1, and next month will see the return of Mike Costa's Cobra. These new story arcs are a great time to jump in and see what the Joes are all about. Plus, they are offering special covers for subscription orders, so ask your store about to get them. YO, JOE!

Image Comics never fails to surprise with their new creator-owned series. This month they are offering up Five Ghosts: the Haunting of Fabian Gray, a pulp adventure book about a treasure hunter who can call upon the abilities of some of literature's greatest characters including Sherlock Holmes, Robin Hood, and Dracula. Seriously, how cool is that?!? Next, we have the Eisner-Award winning team of Jim McCann and Janet Lee teaming up to bring us Lost Vegas. Listen up, Jim McCann plus Space Casinos plus Janet Lee's amazing art equals awesome, new book; buy it. Finally, we have Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Phil Noto's Trigger Girl 6. This was originally released in the Creator-Owned Heroes magazine and just blew me away. Now, you can get it in a big, 56-page book with new sketches from the artist.

Marvel takes us to space with Guardians of the Galaxy #1, which will be reintroducing the space-faring Peter Quill and his team of intergalactic super heroes which includes a raccoon and a tree. I'm totally not kidding; it is going to get crazy. Then, they'll be launching their newest big event series with Age of Ultron, which sees the maniacal artificial intelligence return to take on the best heroes the Marvel Universe has to offer. Even better, the preview suggests that he's already handled Cap, Thor, Iron Man, and Hulk, but overlooked the most dangerous Avenger of all. That's right, bro. Hawkeye! In addition to these, take a look at some of the new Marvel Now books that have recently launched. They are all fairly new and should be easy to catch up on. If you are looking for some really fun books, make sure to check out Avengers Assemble, Captain Marvel, Hawkeye, Fantastic Four, Fearless Defenders, FF, and the Young Avengers.

Finally, we have my favorite section of Previews, the comics and graphic novels section where all the rest of the publishers fight it out for your hard-earned money. The always impressive Archaia Entertainment brings us giant mech robots in Hawken: Genesis, a new graphic novel that ties into a cool, new shooter game. They also offer up Mumbai Confidential, a gritty, new crime book set in India. Over at BOOM! Studios, Paul Scheer, Nick Giovanetti, and Manuel Bracchi bring us Aliens vs. Parker, a sci-fi comedy about a group of misfit space jockeys who get in way over their heads. Oni Press and the always-impressive Cullen Bunn take us back in time with Helheim, a horror story about a viking warrior who pays the ultimate price. Finally, the resurgent Valiant Comics launches new story arcs in their hit books, X-O Manowar and Shadowman, so it'll be a great time to start reading.

Whew! So, those are my highlights for this month's Previews, and I only scratched the surface of all the awesome books available this March. Remember, your orders are due to comic shops by Friday, January 18th, so fill out your order forms and turn them in. As always, feel free to leave me a comment below or chat with me on twitter at @JasonEnright.

Until next time, keep reading! Jason Enright

*DC recently announced that Christy Marx would be writing the new Birds of Prey book instead of Jim Zub. It will still be very interesting to see a new take on the book, and I think that you all should still pre-order it. If you get a chance, you should also take a look at Jim Zub's Skullkickers from Image or Pathfinder from Dynamite; both are incredible comics by this talented writer.